


The Fall

by Jimcloud



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, F/F, Fluff, Kaemaki Week 2020, Pining, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:27:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25160857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jimcloud/pseuds/Jimcloud
Summary: See, I know, of course, that Maki has heard me perform before. She's been at every concert since… well, never mind that. And she's been just outside of my piano room nearly every time I've practiced. So I know she's heard me perform before.But I've never gotten to see her watch me perform. That's a whole other thing. She never says anything about how she feels, including how she feels about my music.And maybe, I think, as my fingers dance across the ivories, it's a little bit selfish of me to want to know what she thinks of the piece I've been fretting over, more than I want the opinions of a crowd of hundreds.Well,call me selfish, then.---Kaede falls. In the physical sense, that is. She fell for her bodyguard, Maki, a long time ago.(Kaemaki Week day 1: Suit/Dress)
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Harukawa Maki
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Title's from half*alive's The Fall. Rated mostly because Kaede thinks the fuck word on occasion.

"This is stupid," Maki's voice echoes, stern and steady, through the hall from behind me.

I turn my head back at her and grin. "It's not stupid," I call back, "I need the practice."

"Akamatsu," she starts, which is how she always starts before she's getting ready to lecture me, and I can see it in the way her cheeks puff out ever so slightly, her brow dips, her beautiful red eyes fix on me, intense, and maybe I  _ am _ enjoying this a little too much, but that's nobody's business but mine. And hers, if she ever saw me as anything but her charge.

Ah, but she's too  _ professional _ for that, I'm sure.

Mm.

"Yeeee~s?" I lilt. I take the moment to pick up my dress a little bit as we walk down to the stage. Fancy dress for a fancy occasion, frills and all. Much as I like performing for people, I'm not really a fancy outfit kind of gal.

Maki stops walking and folds her arms at me, which is very sexy of her, actually, so I stop, too. ...Granted, she's in a suit right now, so basically any action she could be taking at the moment is very sexy of her, but the point remains, y'know.

"You've practiced this piece back and forth for days now. You've barely eaten," ouch, "barely slept,"  _ hey, _ the piano isn't the  _ worst _ bed, "and if you're not ready by now you never will be. You should be getting ready for your performance."

"I am!" I say, innocently, like I don't know exactly what I'm doing, here. "That's why we're going! I have to test out the piano before anyone gets here!"

Maki just rolls her eyes. "If there's a problem with the piano, then it's the house's fault."

Well. Yes. Not that it'll get framed that way. But that's not why I was going out here, anyways.

"Sure,  _ buuuuut, _ " I smile, turning to keep on walking, "I need to make sure it sounds the same on this piano, you know. Imagine if it didn't!"   
  
That's a lie. I'm pretty sure they have the same kind of piano I do, and even if they didn't, their piano's at least going to be in  _ working order. _ It's just, well.

"That's a lie," Maki says, flatly. I hear her boots tapping against the floor behind me. "You just want the excuse to practice this piece again."

"Do not!" I tell her, and I  _ don't. _ Well, not  _ exactly. _ Sort of. But not really.

She sighs. "Is there a reason this is a better use of your time than sleeping?"

Oh, finally, some good fucking question. "Well, that's obvious!" I raise a finger in the air, not bothering to turn around. "I haven't had the chance to practice this in front of an audience yet!"

"There's no audience in there yet." Maki's right as ever. But only because of one key word.

" _ Yet, _ " I repeat, letting my satisfaction leak into my voice. "An audience of one is still an audience!"

Maki doesn't say anything. Just a few moments of us walking in silence. I really hate these heels, actually. It's kinda weird that I navigate with these heels better on a day of no sleep than when I've slept for a while.

"Listening to you perform isn't part of my duties," Maki says, eventually, after a weirdly long pause. Flat, even for her. Hmm. Does she dislike hearing me perform that much?

"You know, you don't have to look after my eating or sleeping habits, either," I hum a little, singsong, "but you  _ dooooo. _ "

"W-well," Maki stammers a little, which means I've  _ got her, _ bet those cheeks of hers are puffed out good, too, hehe, "if something was to happen, you would be much safer if you're physically capable of getting to safety. That's the only reason I…" she trails off.

Yeah. Definitely got her.

"Look!" I point towards the door. "We're already basically there! Why don't we just-" I let out a yelp as my foot lands on the floor weirdly in the heel and slips out, and then my balance is off, and then I'm-

I'm, uh-

I'm in Maki's arms.

"Take off the heels for now," she says from behind me.

I'm gay, so I do. My one foot already slipped out, not currently supporting my weight. I set it down before stepping out of the other heel.

She eases me back into a standing position, and then picks up my heels for me. This gives me roughly four seconds to take my face from  _ completely, irrevocably flustered _ to  _ something I can pass off as embarrassment. _

Not enough time! Not enough time at  _ all. _

Her pigtails drape down in front of her face as she bends down, and they fall in front of her shoulders when she picks herself back up, for just a moment, before she shakes them back in place. And wow, that level of interest in what her hair is doing is  _ probably _ not the straightest thought I've had all day, but I'm running on no sleep, so I think this is fine, actually.

She looks about ready to lecture me again when her gaze turns to mine, but her expression softens when she sees me. She puffs her cheeks out anyways, fiddling with one of her pigtails. "It happens," she says, "don't worry about it."

Oh. So she  _ does _ think I'm blushing because I'm embarrassed, and not because I'm gay (well, I mean, it's both, but mostly the gay). I'll take that as a win, I guess.

"Haha, it's fine," I say, leading her backstage in just my stockings while she holds my heels. They look good in her hands.

Well, everything looks good in her hands. Me included, actually, sure would be nice if she-

Train of thought derailed we're going to  _ practice piano now. _

I step over to the piano, sit on the seat, and just like always, it's like seeing an old friend again. Maki stands nearby, behind me somewhere, out of sight.

Boo.

"You should sit down," I tell her, turning my head to try and catch sight of her.

I see her shaking her head. "I can't protect you if I'm sitting down in the audience."

"It'll be  _ fine! _ " I protest. "Nothing's gonna happen while I'm performing."

She folds her arms. Hehe… she has good arms. Buff. "You  _ can't _ know that."

"Five minutes!" I raise a finger. "Just five!"

Maki sighs, stepping off the stage (you could go around!! Maki!!) and sitting down in one of the front row seats. "Get started, then," she says, and I feel my heart skip a beat.

See, I know, of course, that Maki has heard me perform before. She's been at every concert since… well, never mind  _ that.  _ And she's been just outside of my piano room nearly every time I've practiced. So I know she's heard me perform before.

But I've never gotten to  _ see _ her watch me perform. That's a whole other thing. She never says anything about how she feels, including how she feels about my music.

And maybe, I think, as my fingers dance across the ivories, it's a little bit selfish of me to want to know what  _ she _ thinks of the piece I've been fretting over, more than I want the opinions of a crowd of hundreds.

Well,

call me selfish, then.

So I play the piano, and it's perfect, I've made  _ sure _ it's perfect, but I won't  _ know _ it's perfect until I've seen the reaction from someone else.

When I finish playing, my head turns to the audience, like it always does, a little faster this time than normally (coincidence, I'm sure- okay, I can't even pretend). And…

That's when I catch it.

A genuine smile across Maki's face.

It's small. On anyone else, you could pass it off as just how their face looks by default. But on Maki - god, on Maki - it feels warmer than the sun. My heart jumps and surges in my chest, oh god, this is so much. I feel my face pulling up in a smile from ear to ear. I want to bury my head in this stupid, frilly dress, I want to run away, I want to run into her ams, I-

I just. She's smiling. She's smiling.  _ She's smiling!! _

I blink, and the moment's passed, and Maki's face is neutral again. "What did you think?" I ask, excitement obvious in my voice. She  _ smiled! _

"You're worried about nothing," she says, "your performance is fine."

"Just fine, huh?" I wink at her. (she smiled, she smiled, she smiled) " _ Juuuust _ fine?"

Maki just blinks at me. "Are you getting at something?"

"Oh, me?" I hold a hand up to my heart. "I would never," I lie. "I just wanted to hear your opinion."

"You're as skilled as ever," Maki says, and my heart stutters again,  _ fuck, _ didn't expect that one, "now you  _ really _ should get some rest before the performance."

"Is it really such a crime to want someone else's opinion on my music?" I stand up, though, to go get that rest.

Maki walks around to get back on the stage, quietly. When she gets to me, she looks… odd. I don't know what it is, something in her expression is just… unusual.

"I don't mind listening to your music," she looks away as she says it, cheeks puffing out, and  _ god _ she's cute, "when you need me to. You should have let me know earlier."

Sure, but… I could only work up the nerve to do this on a day of no sleep. "I didn't think you liked it, Harukawa-san," I say instead, quietly. More truthful than I'd meant.

Maki's beautiful red eyes fix on me, then, eyebrows lowered, slight frown on her face. "That's stupid. Why wouldn't I like it?"

Because I've never seen you smile. Because I've been around people, all my life, who smile, even when they don't feel like it, but not you. Never you. And I thought, hey, maybe it's  _ me, _ maybe  _ I'm _ the problem. What else could I think? But all I've wanted to see, since the first moment I laid eyes on you,

was you smiling.

But I can't say that.

"I like when you watch me play," I say instead.

_ Almost as much as I like you. _

The redness that crosses Maki's cheeks - and the small smile that crosses her face - is worth… pretty much everything.

**Author's Note:**

> This one feels pretty straight-laced as fics go but that's not exactly a bad thing. I had fun writing it so hey.
> 
> The fun thing about Kaemaki is that the two of them like to power move each other in drastically different ways.


End file.
